Photography for Beginners: Understanding Shutter Speed

** If aperture is like your eye’s pupil, shutter speed is like your eyelid. The longer your shutter stays open, the more light gets in.

** Shutter speeds are measured in seconds. Speeds faster than 1 second are fractions of a second and on some cameras are displayed without the numerator (1/2 second = 2). Speeds slower than 1 second are often written with quotes (2 seconds = 2″ as in “the real” 2).

** Shutter speed is your most important tool for capturing motion. The longer the shutter is open, the more a moving subject will be blurred.

** The longer your shutter is open, the more likely you are to have to deal with camera shake (i.e. blurring your image by moving the camera slightly… even ever so slightly).

** Faster shutter speeds can freeze a moment in time.

** Remember: As a beginner, 90% of your shooting should be in Program mode so that the camera can determine your shutter speed for you. But when it comes to capturing action, it’s your shutter speed you’ll want to play and experiment with. That, and when your images are blurry in low-light, it might be because your shutter speed isn’t fast enough to hand-hold the lens. You might need to adjust something else (like ISO) to get a faster shutter speed. More on that tomorrow.

[Editor’s Note: Learn more about how you can turn your pictures into cash in our free online newsletter The Right Way to Travel. Sign up here today and we’ll send you a new report, Selling Photos for Cash: A Quick-Start Guide, completely FREE.]